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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. current — electric
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. prune — to trim
  7. key — in music
  8. swing — music
  9. last — final
  10. chest — a box
  11. swing — to play on
  12. chest — of your body
  13. swing — in golf
  14. degree — an amount
  15. current — of water
  16. key — the most important part
  17. degree — temperature
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. degree — from a university
  21. key — for a lock
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. prune — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com